Chase Me
by WatsonFan
Summary: After Joey, Charlie did start seeing a cop. But it wasn't Angelo. Amidst a stressful, big case and a new relationship in progress, can Charlie manage to balance her life? Charlie/Georgina Watson
1. Suckerpunch

Charlie sighed loudly as she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She had been staring at the casefile in front of her for ages. They'd been chasing after a group of unidentified men behind a string of armed robberies the last three weeks, but it seemed they were always one step behind. Charlie felt the problem lay rooted in their inconsistency. There was no pattern. The only constant was the five guys involved, one of them driving a black van, and their method. But the places, times and frequency of the robberies were scattered around like broken glass. Everything from gas stations to motels, and they could go from several robberies one night, and not as much as one the next, and the locations were scattered around over all of Yabbie Creek. There hadn't been any witnesses able to give them anything more than "four guys in ski-masks with guns", though an older man had said two of them were carrying rifles, one a sawn-off shotgun and one with a handgun.

"Senior?"

Charlie's head shot up.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. I knocked, but there was no answer. I assumed you'd like to know this, though…" Watson sighed as she shoved her left hand into her pocket and handed Charlie a brown file with the other.

"What is it this time?" Charlie questioned as she opened the file.

"Supermarket, it was just called in."

Charlie looked at her watch. It was almost eleven p.m. "I'm heading out, then. You up for it, or should I bring Harper?"

"Nah, I'm in," Watson said, and followed Charlie out of the office.

------

"You okay?" Watson asked as Charlie yawned for the third time. Charlie looked worn, she thought.

"I'm fine, just tired," Charlie shrugged off.

"No wonder, did you ever go home last night?"

"No, I was looking over the files again. I mean, we're always one step behind. Either they control whoever is in the building, or they manage to be gone in plenty of time before any responding officers reach the scene."

"Yeah, but like you said two weeks ago, any idiot with a police radio could keep track on us," Watson said.

"I know, but… There just seems to be something we're missing about them," she said as she pulled up in front of the scene.

She was met by a rookie on patrol who had been first on the scene. He explained that there had been a woman behind the counter, but one of the robbers had prevented her from pressing the silent alarm. There had been two male shoppers in the store, but they were quickly forced to the ground and saw little.

Charlie was just about to follow him inside, when the station contacted her radio.

"Watson!" she called out as soon as the message had been relayed.

Watson jogged over, as it seemed important. "What's happened?"

"We're heading out. Same guys are at it at a closed liquor store 10 minutes from here, the station just received notice that someone forcibly entered the store, while a dark van was parked outside," Charlie informed her as they rushed for the car. "The station dispatched two units in opposite direction of us, and it's a pretty deserted road so if they drive off before we get there, we should meet them on the way!"

"Wait, senior, are you up for driving, you seemed pretty tired back there," Watson pointed out as Charlie opened the driver side door.

"You're probably right," she said as she threw the keys to Watson and ran to the other side of the car and got in."

"Let's go!"

----

Watson and Charlie pulled up in front of the liquor store 8 minutes later. There was no sign of the dark van.

"Go inside and clear the store, and radio the other units. We didn't run into them, so they must be heading in their direction. I'm gonna run around and clear the back!" Charlie informed her as they both exited the vehicle. Watson ran inside, while Charlie went to clear the back.

"…is cleared, no suspects remain within the store. Tell the other units to keep an eye out, they must've taken off in their direct-"

Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires filled the air, and before Watson could draw her gun, a black van sped off in the direction her and Charlie had arrived from.

"Senior?!" she called out before she shouted into her radio, reporting to the station what had happened.

Running around the first corner of the building, she found a bloody Charlie struggling to get up.

"Senior!" she rushed over to her.

Charlie groaned. "It's nothing… just a bloody nose," she explained groggily as Watson helped her stand.

"Are you right out of your mind?" Watson asked as she tried to steady a clearly unsteady Charlie.

"It's noth…ing…just" Charlie mumbled on as she clutched her head.

"Okay, let's sit you down for a sec," Watson said as she started to lead Charlie over to the wall and helped her sit down. "Are you all right?"

"Eh…I'm fine…I can't believe I was so stupid!"

"We followed protocol, you couldn't have known," Watson said.

Charlie sighed as she brought her hand to her nose. "Christ…"

"Here," Watson pressed a handkerchief to Charlie's bleeding nose and put her other hand behind her head to keep her from pulling back.

"Keep the pressure on that, and try to lean forward," she instructed.

Just then two other police cruisers pulled up in front of the store. "I'm gonna brief them on what's going on, will you be all right for a few minutes?" Watson asked.

"I'm fine!" Charlie claimed.

-----

"Can we get some help here?" Watson called out as she helped Charlie sit down in the waiting area. Rachel saw them and came rushing over.

"What on earth happened to you? Are you okay?" she asked as she looked over Charlie, who was full of blood.

"Looks worse than it is," Charlie said.

-----

Georgina saw Rachel exit the examination room, and decided to go and see how Charlie was.

"Hey," she said as she stuck her head inside. "Are you okay?"

"Hey, come on in. I'm fine, just a minor concussion. I think it seemed worse than it was, with all the blood and stuff," Charlie explained.

"Are you sure? I mean, you weren't too steady on your feet on the scene," Watson said as she approached Charlie, who was sitting on the examination table.

"Yeah, I feel much better, Rachel says I can return to full duty in three days."

Watson nodded. "That's good. How's the nose, by the way?"

"Oh, it's fine, it's not broken. Sorry for bleeding all over your shirt," Charlie said apologetically.

Georgina chuckled. "It's fine, I'm just glad you're all right," she said seriously as she grabbed Charlie's hand.

Charlie just looked at her, unsure of what to say.

"Charlie!" Ruby exclaimed as she came rushing through. Georgina quickly removed her hand and stepped away as Ruby threw her arms around Charlie's neck, bombarding her with questions.


	2. Allegation

"What happened?" Ruby wanted to know as she pulled back. "Your shirt is covered with blood!"

"Really, it's fine, Rubes. It looks worse than it is, just a little blow to the face," Charlie explained with a smile.

"But all the blood…"

"Just a nosebleed, it's nothing to worry about," Charlie said.

"Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere else?" Ruby asked with concern.

"Well, they say I have a concussion, a minor one, but it's nothing. I can be fully back at work in a few days," Charlie explained.

Ruby nodded as she gave Charlie another hug.

----

"Thanks for dropping us off," Charlie said as she unfastened her seatbelt.

"No problem," Watson said with a smile.

"Ruby, why don't you go ahead, I'll be right behind you," Charlie turned back and hinted for Ruby to give them a minute alone.

Ruby smiled and left the car.

"So…" Watson started, not really sure what to say.

"Uhm, do you want to come inside for a cup of coffee, or something?" Charlie offered.

"Sure, sure. I like coffee. I'd love to"

As the two women were seated in the kitchen, Georgina brought up the events that had taken place a few hours before.

"You know, we did follow protocol tonight. There was no immediate sign of the perpetrators, I went to search and clear the inside of the store, while you covered the outer vicinity. It was by the book, Charlie," she said with a shrug, knowing Charlie well enough to see that it was bugging her.

"Yeah, I know. Still, I keep thinking I should've been more on my toes. And we know they probably have a police scanner with them, so they'd know we dispatched units in both directions," Charlie said with a sigh. There was something about this case that just didn't add up.

"But there were thousands of possible scenarios that could have happened. We could have stayed in the car until the other units arrived, we could have searched the outside together, one of us could have stayed in the car to contact the station… I mean, there are so many things that we could have done instead," Georgina said as she laid her hand on top of Charlie's.

"But we wouldn't do that, we'd follow protocol. I think they got a little too cocky tonight… We came closer than ever to catching them" Charlie stated.

After finishing her coffee, Georgina checked her watch in a less than discrete manner. "You know, it's getting late, I think I'll head home."

"Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Charlie said, getting up to walk Georgina out the door.

"I thought you weren't cleared for work yet?" Georgina replied.

"Cleared for full duty, no. But I'll be in and go over some of the new robberies," Charlie explained.

"Ah," Georgina replied, before a silence fell over them.

Charlie proceeded to stare at the floor.

Georgina glared at Charlie in a nervous manner, and before her brain caught up with her actions, she had laid her hand on Charlie's cheek and dove in for a kiss. Charlie kissed her back, but then suddenly pulled away.

"Oh my god… I…. I'm so sorry…" Georgina started to explain, covering her mouth with her hand. "I have no idea what possessed me to do that… I… God, I'm so sorry!"

Charlie stood sheepishly in her place, not really saying anything. "Uhm…"

"I… I should go. Uh, sorry, I'll just… Bye," she awkwardly mumbled before turning and heading for the car.

"Christ…" Charlie muttered as she watched Georgina leave.

----

"Morning, senior," one of the constables spoke up as Charlie entered the station. "Didn't think you were coming in today."

"Well, here I am," Charlie said with a polite smile. "Look, I'd like to go over the files from the last few robberies, so I'll be in my office. And… If you see Watson, tell her I want to see her. I'd also like a transcript of exactly what was spoken over the radio during and before the second robbery last night."

"Yes, ma'am," the younger constable answered.

Entering her office, Charlie started to check over the files. She started to draw down a timeline of the events that took place the following night, trying to calculate how long the robbers had had between the two robberies.

"Senior? Here are the transcript you requested," he said as he ducked his head in and briefly handed her the papers.

"Thank you."

Looking over it, there was nothing that seemed to be of any help. It was all standard. Messages on what happened, her and Watson first receiving notice of the second robbery, their response, and then the dispatch of the other units. It was announced over the radio that her and Watson would arrive a good 5 minutes before the other units, so the robbers had to have known that they'd be first on scene. But they'd still be taking a risk with them, so at least they'd made an error there; which was unusual with this gang. A surprising new theory was just forming in her head when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

Watson stuck her head in. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, close the door please," Charlie said.

Watson did just that. "Look, I'm sorry for yesterday, I was completely out of line, and I shoul-"

"I'm not sorry," Charlie cut her off.

"You're… what?"

"I'm not sorry you kissed me. Took me by surprise, but… I'm not sorry," Charlie admitted.

Georgina tried to contain it, but the relief had her grinning like a hopeless teenager. "Okay… Is this a good time to invite you over to my place for dinner tonight, then?"

Charlie smiled. "Sure, I'd love to."

Georgina grinned even wider. "Okay, great. I'll see you at seven, then," she said with a smile as she headed for the door.

"It's a date then. But before you go, I'd like to discuss something with you, and I need your word that for now, it won't leave this office," Charlie's expression turned more serious.

"What is it?" Georgina replied with a frown.

"Last night, you said that we followed protocol. But the robbers couldn't foresee every step we'd make when we arrived," Charlie explained. "That made me think that they maybe got a little too eager, and took a risk that failed when someone by coincidence discovered the robbery."

"Well, it's a pretty deserted area, only one road leading to the store. They must have been aware that they'd be likely to meet police vehicles in both ends of that road if they were seen," Georgina continued.

"Exactly, I think they knew. I think they were prepared for being seen, and they were prepared for what the first officers on scene would do," Charlie stated.

"But they couldn't know exactly what we'd do…"

"What if they could? It's protocol. Every police officer knows that when arriving upon a scene where there's no immediate sign of dangerous perpetrators, first step is to split up, search, clear and secure the scene. And with a radio, they'd know we'd be two. Going inside the store was a given, and except for the outside, there wasn't really any other place to search," Charlie said.

Georgina frowned. "Back up a sec here, are you suggesting that they're cops?"

"Not all of them, but at least one of them, yes."


	3. Escalation

**A/N: Thanks for so many lovely reviews, you guys, it really means a lot that so many are taking time to read something I've written. :-)**

___________________

"Whoa, whoa, seriously?" Do you know what you're saying? If this gets out... That the person in charge of this station and every constable out in the next room honestly think one of them might be behind these robberies… Charlie, that's…" Watson rambled of before sitting down.

Charlie nodded. She understood where Georgina was coming from, she really did. "I know. That's why my theory can't leave this room. But just so we're clear, I don't think anyone stationed here is part of it."

"I'll keep my mouth shut, of course," Georgina promised. She couldn't help but feel pretty flattered that she was the one Charlie had chosen to share this with her.

"Now, I don't want to put you out, or anything," Charlie started, "But I'm gonna ask you to have an eye open for anything suspicious. I'm not asking you to be a rat or go undercover, but if you hear or see anything…"

"Charlie!" Watson exclaimed. "Don't ask me be you spy, please…"

"I'm not asking you to spy!" Charlie defended, "I'm just asking you to let me know, if you see anything utterly suspicious."

Georgina sighed. "Fine."

Charlie smiled. "You're sulking," she said with a smirk.

"I am not. And just so you know, I'll only be your spy on one condition," Georgina informed her.

"You're not a spy," Charlie repeated. "And what may that condition be?"

"I get to do this," Georgina stated before leaning over and kissing Charlie.

-----

Charlie looked at her watch. It was nearing five thirty. She figured she'd leave at about six, which should give her enough time to drop home for a shower and throw on a decent outfit before heading over to Georgina's place. And hopefully Ruby's plans with Xavier were still on, so she wouldn't have to face a two hour long interrogation about where she was going.

She had been taken by surprise when Georgina had kissed her the last night, and hadn't really expected it. Sure, there had been moments where she felt maybe the younger woman had been flirting with her, but it was still unexpected. And when it sunk in, she didn't really mind. After her and Joey broke up, it helped her realize that it was her life, and she'd do what made her enjoy it the most.

A knock on the door pulled her out from her thoughts. "Yes?"

"Senior, there's been another robbery…" the young constable explained.

"Christ…" Charlie muttered. "Eh, all right. Send John, and ask Marine if they can spare Angelo or someone, we're a little short at the moment and I want enough patrols ready for dispatch here if something happens later…"

"Senior, I think they're requesting you at the scene," the constable explained.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because there was a casualty."

"Ahh," Charlie sighed loudly as she closed her eyes. This was not good. "All right, tell them I'm leaving in 5 minutes, in the meantime, send the location over to the GPS in the squad car," Charlie ordered, before she got up and left her office.

"Constable Watson, may I have a word," she called over to Georgina as she stepped into an interview room.

"What's up, senior?" she asked before closing the door.

"You heard what happened?" Charlie asked.

"Yes," Georgina answered apologetically.

"They've requested me at the scene," Charlie explained.

"I understand, of course, you need to go," Georgina replied.

"I'm really sorry. I don't know how long I'll be, so if you wanna cancel tonight, I totally understand," Charlie said.

"No, no, I don't want to cancel, let's just see how late you'll be, and then see what happens," Georgina said.

"Okay, I'll give you a call later and tell you how long it's gonna take, then."

Georgina then had an idea. "Hey, are you heading out alone? Or could you do with some company?" she offered.

Charlie smiled. "You don't have to do that. Besides, shouldn't you get home and cook me some impressive dinner," Charlie said with a small smirk.

"Oh, you're not doubting that I can do both, Senior Constable Buckton, are you?" Georgina replied.

"Fine. Prove me wrong, then," Charlie said with a grin.

-----

"Senior Constable Buckton," an older man in uniform said as he approached Charlie, "Sergeant Paul Robertson," he introduced himself. "I'm glad you could make it."

"No problem, sir," Charlie replied.

He started walking with her towards the store where the robbery occurred. "Now, I do appreciate that this is your case, and you're leading the investigation, but one of my patrol units were passing by after a transport, when they heard the gunshot. They took control of the scene," he explained. "I hope you are not offended by this," he said with a smile.

Charlie shook her head. "Not at all, it's only in our jurisdiction by the breadth of a hair."

"Yes, well, my constables are handing it over to your guys right now," he said with a smile.

As they stepped into the store, it didn't take Charlie long before she discovered the man who had been killed. He was lying behind the counter, and appeared to have been shot in the chest.

"Do we know how many shots were fired?" Charlie asked.

"They witnesses all said that they are certain one of the robbers fired twice," Sergeant Robertson explained.

"Any word on when the crime scene techs get here?" Charlie wondered.

"They were dispatched from the city about 15 minutes or so, I assume they'll be here in about an hour."

Charlie went over the scene with Sergeant Robertson until the crime scene unit arrived. It was already past seven when they arrived, and then she had spent almost two new hours following up on witnesses and checking up on the other constables who were working the case.

"Hey," Charlie said as she approached Georgina, who was sitting in their squad car filling out a form.

"Hey, you, done for the night?" she asked.

"Yes, all done for today," she announced as she got in the car and put the keys in the ignition. "Look, it'll be way past 10 when we get back, and it's been a long day, so if you're not up for dinner, I completely understand."

"Nonsense. Just drive straight for my house, and I'll serve you up the best dinner you've had all week in 20 minutes," Georgina replied.

"That's pretty cocky of you, since I live with a cook," Charlie chuckled.

"Well, I stand by my words," Georgina stated.

A little over half an hour later, Charlie pulled the squad car into Georgina's driveway. It was pretty deserted if you looked around, but had a lovely view over the beach.

Unlocking the door, Georgina stepped away and gestured for Charlie to enter.

"It's a nice place you've got," Charlie complimented as she entered.

"Thanks, it was my father's" Georgina replied. "Living room is that way," she said as she pointed down the hallway. "Just make yourself at home, and I'll make sure we have something to eat soon."

"All right," Charlie said with a smile. As she walked down the hall, she was met by a beautiful living room. The wall looking over the beach and facing the Bay was mainly glass, and in the dark it was truly a beautiful sight.

"Hey, the food is coming, but I thought you'd maybe want a drink," Georgina said as she handed Charlie a cold beer.

"Thanks," Charlie said as she accepted the bottle and took a sip. "It's a beautiful view."

"I know. When my dad bought this place, he had the wall replaced so that he could enjoy the view from the living room. He could sit for hours down here, just looking over the bay at night," Georgina told her.

"I can certainly see why," Charlie replied. She wondered about Georgina's dad, but since she referred to him in the past tense, she assumed he had passed away.

They both sat down in the couch facing the windows, talking and getting to know each other better, trying their best to not discuss anything work-related. After about 20 minutes or so, the doorbell rand, and Georgina went to get it.

"Well, dinner's ready," she announced as she walked into the living room carrying a pizza.

Charlie started to laugh at her as she set the pizza down on the table in front of them. "Pizza?"

"Well, I was planning on cooking you something more impressive, but our night got cut short, so I thought I'd go simple," she said with a grin. "And you've had a long day, and now you're eating a delicious, unhealthy pizza and drinking beer, so I know it's the best meal you've had this week."

Charlie chuckled as she grabbed a slice. "You're probably right."

When Georgina had invited her over, Charlie didn't think they'd be sitting at her place in their uniforms, drinking beer and eating pizza at eleven, but she was really enjoying herself. And she was really enjoying her company.


	4. Hooking Up and Breaking Up

**A/N: Just to inform you all, I've decided to skip over the whole Ruby-Charlie-storyline, simply because it's less complicated, and while I think Ruby is a huge part of Charlie's life, I want to focus mainly on her and Watson. :-)**

* * *

Charlie awoke by the sun peering through the windows of Georgina's bedroom. Rolling over, she found Georgina sound asleep. Propping herself up on an elbow, she extracted her hand and gently stroked Georgina's face.

It didn't take long before Georgina woke up. Looking at the tired face that was smiling down at her, she couldn't help but smile herself. "Good morning," Charlie said.

"It is indeed," Georgina said as she leant forward and kissed Charlie. "And thanks for last night, I might add."

Charlie smirked. "I'm amazing, I know." Looking over at the alarm clock on Georgina's side, she saw that it was almost 7 o'clock. "Christ!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Georgina said as she sat up, as Charlie scrambled out of bed and started looking for her clothes.

"It's almost 7. I need to get home before Ruby wakes up. I never called to tell her I wouldn't be home last night, and I really don't want to go through an hour-long interrogation with her, I want to tell her about us later and properly," Charlie explained as she picked up the items of clothing she could muster on the floor.

"I think your shirt's in the stairwell," Georgina said between her chuckles.

"Not funny!" Charlie stressed as she ran down to find her shirt.

Running back up, she'd finally managed to find all of her clothes and get dressed. Quickly kissing Georgina, she was on her way out. "I assume your car hasn't driven itself from the station to here during the night, so I'll swing back by to pick you up at eight!" she called out before running out the door.

"I'll see you then! And I think you need to have a look in the mirror, you look like you've just had sex!" she called after her, and grinned when she heard Charlie groan.

Throwing herself into the squad car, Charlie was on her way in seconds. She hadn't planned to spend the night at Georgina's, but one thing had lead to another and it just kinda happened. When she thought about it, she had never had sex with someone on the first date before. It wasn't that she regretted it or anything, though.

About five minutes past 7, Charlie pulled up in front of the house. As she was about to enter, she found Leah standing in the kitchen.

"Hey," Leah greeted her.

"Hey. Is Ruby up yet?" Charlie asked.

"No, I haven't heard her at least. I didn't hear you come home last night."

"Yeah… I didn't," Charlie stated. "Look, I'm, gonna grab a shower and get a change of clothes, so I'll talk to you later."

Leah nodded, and figured it wasn't really her business, so she didn't ask about where Charlie had been.

40 minutes later, Charlie had showered and changed and was heading into the kitchen for a coffee and breakfast. When she didn't find Ruby there, and hadn't heard her before, she went to look for her.

"Ruby?" she called out as she knocked on her door. When she got no answer, she looked inside. She found Ruby in her bed, crying.

"Ruby?" she asked with concern as she approached her. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked as she sat down beside her on the edge of the bed.

"Nothing," Ruby said between her tears.

"Come on, you're obviously upset about something," Charlie reasoned.

"Xavier and I broke up," Ruby explained.

"Ruby…" Charlie sighed. "Come here," she said as she pulled Ruby into a sitting position and embraced her.

"How could I be so stupid, Charlie?!" Ruby cried.

"You're not stupid, Rubes… These things just happen every now and then," Charlie tried to console her.

"People just don't cheat on people they care about every now and then… but then I guess Xavier didn't care!"

"What? He cheated on you?" Charlie exclaimed. She'd never really been a fan of Xavier, but this pissed her off.

"With some slut from school," Ruby exclaimed as she sniffed and buried her head in the crook of Charlie's neck.

"Oh, Rubes…" Charlie said as she kissed the top of Ruby's head. "If it's any consolation, I always thought you could do better than him."

That made Ruby laugh, despite her tears.

Charlie smiled. "Why don't you clean up, and get ready for school. I'll drive you, so if you're quick you won't be too late."

"I'm not going to school. He'll be there, and I'll have to see that smug look of that whore-girlfriend of his," Ruby huffed.

"Yes, you are. Skipping school is for delinquents like Xavier," Charlie said as she pulled Ruby up.

--------

At 8.30 Charlie pulled up in front of Georgina's house.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Ruby apparently broke up with her boyfriend last night, and I had to coax her out of bed and get her to school," Charlie explained.

"No problem, you're the one I'd have to answer to for being late anyway," Georgina said.

Charlie chuckled. "About that… I don't know about you, but I think we should keep this whole thing to ourselves. At least for now," Charlie stated.

"I agree. Let's just wait and see what happens, and we'll deal with it if we have to," Georgina suggested.

As Charlie pulled up at the station, she dropped Georgina off before parking the car and heading in herself.

"Good morning, guys."

"Morning, senior. They called from the lab a few minutes ago, they think they'll be done with the analysis of the bullets they recovered at the scene before the end of the workday. They knew you wanted it as soon as possible, so they said they'd put a rush on it," a female constable informed her.

"Okay, well, as soon as it's here, I want it on my desk. Immediately," Charlie informed them before stepping into her office where she started filling out reports and files regarding the robbery the previous night.

------

A few hours later, Charlie was becoming stir-crazy, and figured she'd head out on patrol.

"Heading out?" one of the constable behind the counter asked her as she left her office.

"Yes, thought I'd make myself more useful and head out. You haven't seen Georgie around by any chance?" Charlie replied.

"Yeah, she's-"

"…right here," Georgie finished as she stepped out of an interview room, followed by three teenagers and another constable.

Charlie turned around. "I'm heading out on patrol down by the beach, if you wanna tag along. But if you're busy…?"

"No, not really, I'm sure John can keep an eye on our guests until their parents come to pick them up," she replied, nodding towards the constable behind the counter.

"No problem," the younger constable offered, and so Charlie and Georgina headed out.

"You want to drop by the diner for a coffee first?" Charlie suggested as they got in the car.

"Sure. And it's my treat. After all, I am the one who kept you awake all night," Georgie said with a smirk.

Charlie laughed as she started the car.

-----

"Hey, Charlie," Leah greeted with a smile.

"Hi, can I have two coffees to go, please?" Charlie said with a smile. Georgina walked in behind her.

Charlie was handed the two Styrofoam cups, and was about to reach Leah the money, but Georgie beat her to it with a smirk. Charlie started to laugh, and Leah eyed the two with a suspicious look.

"See you at home," Charlie called over her shoulder as she walked out of the diner with Georgie. The two started to walk alongside the beach.

"So…" Charlie started. "About last night… You know… Do you wanna, like, do it again sometime?"

"You sound like a nervous teenager," Georgie said with a chuckle. "But yes, I definitely want to do it again."

Charlie smiled. She was about to say something, when she spotted someone one the beach. "Give me a second?" she said as she headed over.

Georgie nodded as Charlie stepped away. "Sure."

"Ruby?!" Charlie called out as she approached her sister. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school."

"I just couldn't be there anymore, not with him there," Ruby said as she wiped her tears, though they were soon replaced with new ones.

"Rubes…" Charlie sighed as she squatted down in front of her sister. "I understand that all of this is hard on you, but you can't just take off like that," she tried to reason with her as she put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know… I just… He's just carrying on like nothing happened, Charlie!" Ruby said.

"Come here," she said softly as she hugged Ruby tightly. Pulling away, Charlie spoke. "Look, let's get you home, and when I'm come home later, we'll talk about this, all right?"

Ruby nodded as she wiped her tears again, this time with more success.

"All right, let's go," Charlie said as she led Ruby up from the beach. "Just give a minute, all right, then we'll get you home," she said as she went to talk with Georgie.

Ruby nodded.

As Charlie walked over to Georgina, the brunette had just gotten off the phone. "Hey, Charlie," she said. "Just talked to the station. They called from the lab five minutes ago, they're not gonna have the results back before tomorrow," she explained.

Charlie nodded. She hadn't really expected them to, either. "Right. Well, I need to take Ruby home, so if you don't mind, would it be all right if we just stopped by Leah's?" Charlie said.

"No, of course," Georgie said. "Why don't you guys wait here, I'll go and get the car," she offered.

"No, that's-"

"Seriously. Wait here, I'll get the car. Besides, she looks like she could use her sister right now," Georgie said with a smile as she went to get the car.

Charlie nodded, and turned to look at Ruby, who looked very upset. Deciding that she was well on-top of things, she called the station and informed them that she wouldn't be back later.


	5. Shifting Gears

"Good morning, everybody," Charlie said as she walked into the station.

"Morning, senior," the other officers greeted her.

"Any word from the lab?" Charlie wondered.

"No, but they'll probably have the results within the end of the workday," she was informed.

"All right, well, I want it in my hands as soon as the ink's dry," she said, before heading into her office. The first thing she did there, was calling up headquarters and updating them on how things were going. Afterwards, she texted Georgie and asked if she had a minute.

Seconds later, Georgie stuck her head inside. "Yes?"

"That was quick," Charlie said as Georgie closed the door. As soon as it was shut, Charlie got up and proceeded to plant a long and tender kiss on the brunette's lips.

"Mmmh," Georgie said as they broke for air, "All right…"

"I've wanted to do that since yesterday," Charlie said, before kissing her again.

Georgie grinned. "Hey, I'm not complaining."

"Good," Charlie said with a wide smile as she rested her forehead against Georgie's. "I was planning on calling you last night, but with Ruby and all the stuff there, I just didn't get the time to do it."

Georgie nodded. "How is she?"

"Ah, she's fine now," Charlie explained as she sat down. "Just a little heartache. You know how things are at that age. And the little creep cheated on her as well, so that made matters even worse," she said as she rubbed her temples.

Georgie chuckled. "Yeah… Well, I still remember my first broken heart. There was this girl at school, she was one year older than me, and I'd never seen someone more beautiful than her in my whole life. I once waited outside her classroom for three hours, just so I could 'accidentally' run into her."

"I didn't picture you as the stalker-type," Charlie said as she laughed. "What happened?"

Georgie shrugged. "Nothing. I waited, longed and lusted for her, even mustered the guts to talk to her, but that was about it. Nothing happened. She probably wasn't even into girls."

"Isn't that just a-"

Someone knocked on the door.

Georgie scrambled off Charlie's desk, and opened a file, trying to look busy.

"Yes?" Charlie answered.

"This just came in, senior," a younger constable said as he handed Charlie a sealed file.

"Thank you," she said as the constable left.

"What's the verdict?" Georgie asked.

Charlie briefly skimmed through all the formalities, before reaching the results. "Christ…"

"What?"

"I'm gonna have to call headquarters and let them know that I think one of our own is involved in this, now," Charlie said with a sigh as she handed the file to Georgie.

"It doesn't prove anything…" Georgie said as she reached the results.

"No, but it sure as hell supports my theory. A 40 caliber, most likely from a Glock 22… I mean, you don't find it odd that the shooter just happens to be carrying around the exact same weapon as every police officer in the state?"

"How are you gonna handle this?" Georgie asked.

"I'm gonna have to let headquarters know," Charlie said as she picked up her phone.

---------

"Yes, yes, sir. All right, I will, thanks," Charlie ended her phone call. For over 45 minutes Georgie had listened to Charlie explain the situation to headquarters, and discussing what their next step should be.

"Well?"

"They agree that it's pointing to a possibly corrupt constable," Charlie explained. "Which means, I can pretty much not trust anyone on the outside of these walls, until we've gone over the shift lists, and mapped who were on duty when for the last weeks?"

"Why do you assume it's from this station?" Georgie asked.

"It's just too much of a coincidence. With the frequency and numbers of robberies, they can't have come from too far away," Charlie said.

Georgie nodded. "What's gonna happen now?"

"Well, headquarters can't send in anyone without it looking suspicious, and they can't really request any large amount of files, either. If one of the perpetrators works at this station, it'll be a dead giveaway. That practically means I'm on my own here."

"What are you gonna do? I mean, when the others see the report, whoever might actually be behind it is probably going to put two and two together and know that he needs to start covering his tracks…"

"I know. That's why the content of the report can't be released. And I can't have it classified either, that's even more obvious. Which means, only option left is to fake it. We're just gonna have to say that the results are inconclusive," Charlie said. "I'll have headquarters get us a new file," she said as she locked the real one into her archive cabinets.

"Wow," Georgie said, a little taken aback by the entire situation. "To think that we've been working alongside a corrupt criminal… "

"Georgie… I trust that you understand how utterly crucial it is to the remainder of the investigation that this does not come out, not to anyone at all," Charlie said, her face serious.

"Of course, I'll keep my mouth shut, the sooner this guy is busted the better," she said.

There was a knock on the door again.

"Yes!?" Charlie barked, a little more hostile than intended.

"Sorry to interrupt you, senior, but there's just been reported of two new robberies during the last 30 minutes," the younger constable said sheepishly.

"Any injuries?" Charlie first asked.

"No, there's a few shocked witnesses, but no physical injuries," the constable said.

"How far apart are the scenes?" Charlie asked. She was being stressed out by the fact that the robbers had begun to strike again, and wanted to get out there as soon as she could.

"About a 15-20 minute drive."

"All right, I'm heading out there," Charlie said, getting up. "Watson?"

Georgie followed Charlie out, and got in a car with her.

"This is not good. I expected them to lay low for a while with the shooting just two days ago," Charlie said as she shook her head. "We need a new strategy for wrapping this up before it's too late. They can't keep up with this forever, sooner or later they're gonna have to call it quits."

"But now that we know one of them probably works at the station, shouldn't we just need to pinpoint it, and take it from there?" Georgie said.

"Well, yeah, but it's only you and myself I can trust on this. Which means we need to start going through papers when we get back, and map who was at work when. But we need to keep this under wraps. If our guys gets the slightest idea that we're on to him, we could lose him."


	6. Beetle In a File Stack

"Good morning," Leah said cheerfully as Charlie grabbed a cup of coffee and plopped down at the breakfast table.

"Morning," Charlie yawned.

"I didn't hear you come in last night, did you get caught up at work?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, let's just say there's been some complications. I had to be at two new scenes last night, and if I wasn't late enough by then, I had to drop by the station and wait for a file to be dropped off," Charlie explained.

Leah frowned. "I hope you catch those guys soon. They've been going on like menaces!"

"Yeah, trust me, we're working on it. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this mess sooner rather than later," Charlie said.

Nodding, Leah joined her. "Listen… I just got word last night that one of Vinnies aunts in Queensland died yesterday."

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear," Charlie said, surprised.

"I was planning for VJ and I to spend some time up there when we make the trip for the funeral anyway I met her a few times, and I know Vinnie was real close to her growing up. Besides, it'll be a good opportunity for VJ to spend time with some of his dad's family," Leah explained. "Anyway, I've gotten us booked on a flight late tonight, so we'll leave pretty soon."

"Do you know how long you'll be? So Ruby and I will know when the final deadline for cleaning up is," Charlie joked.

"No, not really. I've told Irene to count me out for the next two weeks, so probably no more than that," Leah chuckled.

Charlie nodded again.

"Hello?"

"Georgie! Hi," Charlie said as she saw the brunette's head poke through the open backdoor.

"Hey. I was out early, and thought you might like to drop by the diner for a coffee before heading to the station," she explained.

"Yeah, sure, but you'll have to give me a few minutes to get dressed," Charlie said, as she looked at her faded t-shirt and pajama pants.

"Anything for you," Georgie said and held up her hands.

Leah watched the two and smirked. "Uh, come in!" she quickly said when she realized George was still lingering on the doorstep.

"Here," Charlie said as she offered Georgie her seat. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready."

"Sure," Georgie said with a smile.

When Charlie had left, Leah smirked again, and looked at Georgie. "So. You and Charlie, huh?"

"Uh…" Georgie started, not really sure what to say. Or what Charlie had said about them.

"Aw, don't be shy! Now I know where Charlie was when she didn't come home two days ago," Leah said.

"Umh, it's really not my place to…" Georgie mumbled, dying for Charlie to get back. She had no idea if Charlie had said anything about them yet.

"So how long have you and Charlie been seeing each other?" Leah asked.

"What?" Ruby exclaimed. She had been heading for the kitchen for some breakfast, and couldn't help but hear Leah. "Are you and Charlie seeing each other?"

"Eh…"

Ruby sat down at the table opposite of Leah. "How long have you been seeing each other? Charlie hasn't said anything!"

"Well…"

"Morning, Rubes," Charlie said as she reemerged in the kitchen.

"Charlie!" Georgie exclaimed, thanking god Charlie was done.

"How long have you two been seeing each other?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't say anything!" Georgie shot in.

"Aw, come on! The way you guys were carrying on before… It was pretty obvoius," Leah said.

"Yeah… Well. Georgie and I are, in fact, seeing each other," Charlie explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ruby asked. She felt a little hurt that Charlie hadn't even mentioned it to her. They had always told each other that kind of stuff.

"I was planning to, but with Xavier and everything, I just thought I'd wait," Charlie explained.

"Charles… Of course I can be happy for you even though I just broke up with Xavier," Ruby said.

"Uhm, I'll go start the car," Georgie said, feeling a bit awkward in the current situation.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Rubes," Charlie said.

"Yeah… Well, don't think I can't be happy for you just because my own love life sucks," Ruby said with a smile as she got up to hug Charlie.

"All right," Charlie said with a smile. "I should go. See you guys later," she called over her shoulder.

"Fly away, lovebird!" Leah teasingly called after her.

"I'm sorry about that," Charlie said as she got into Georgie's car.

"Yeah… Well, now I know how the suspects we interrogate feel…"

"Awww," Charlie said. "Will this make it better?" she asked as she kissed Georgie on the cheek.

"Maybe."

"How about this then?" Charlie said as she placed a long, tender kiss on Georgie's lips.

"Mmh, that's better," Georgie said, grinning.

-----------

"Morning, guys," Charlie said as she and Georgie walked into the station. "When everyone's in, I'd like to go over the forensics report I got yesterday," she said. Giving Georgie a discreete grin, she headed into her office. She had already asked Georgie to discreetly pull the logs from the last month, so that they could start going over them and find out who was at work and when.

Unlocking a drawer in her desk, she pulled out the fabricated report that headquarters had sent over last night Briefly skimming over it, again, she made sure that everything was okay, before heading out to the others.

"Guys? If everyone's ready, I'm going over the forensics report on the bullets now," she announced, and the officers on duty gathered around to hear what Charlie had to say.

"I was planning on doing this yesterday, but as we know, something unfortunately got in the way of that. Now, on to the report. The lab has done extensive testing on the two bullets they recovered at the scene, and as much as I hate to say it, it's inconclusive," she announced as she handed the file to one of the constables next to her, who skimmed through it and handed it over to another.

"Now, I don't want anyone to lose hope on this one. While the lab couldn't help us out this time, we will catch these guys," she told them, while cautiously looking for any odd reaction. "Any questions?"

No one spoke up.

"All right. Let me know when all the witnesses from last night have been interviewed. I guess that's about it."

Everyone slowly started to scramble back to what they were doing or were going to do, while Georgie subtly made her way after Charlie into her office, with a stack of files in her hand.

Closing the door, Georgie dropped the files on Charlie's desk. "How do we do this?"

Charlie sighed. "Let's go through officer by officer, and mark out any day where they were at work during a robbery, as soon as we know who has some major gaps to fill regarding their whereabouts, we can seize their service weapon, and hopefully match it to the bullets at the lab," Charlie said. They were most likely only after one crooked cop, so eliminating the vast majority of clean ones seemed more efficient. "If I start on A through C, you'll do D through F?"

"Sure," Georgie said, before jumping into the first file and taking notes.

Charlie was about to open her first, when she decided to ask Georgie a question. "Hey, do you think maybe your up to having lunch today with Ruby?" Charliee still felt guilty that she had kept something like this from Ruby just because of Xavier.

"Yeah. That'd be fine," Georgie said with a shrud.

"Okay. I just think it would be nice for her to meet you properly. I still feel kinda rotten for not saying anything to her," Charlie admitted.

Georgie nodded and smiled, before kissing Charlie briefly and getting back to her files. She knew Charlie had a close relationship to her sister.

------

Ruby had gotten Charlie's text a few hours before, and was sitting in the Diner waiting for Charlie and Georgie to arrive. She had just sat down when her cell phone rang. Again. Looking at the number, the declined the call.

"Hey, Rubes," Charlie said with a big smile as she sat down with Ruby.

"Hey," Georgie said with a smile as she joined Charlie.

"Are things quiet down at the station, with that biig case and all?" Ruby aske as the two women joined her.

"Not really," Charlie said. "Hopefully we'll start seeing some results soon."

Ruby nodded. "So… You guys, huh? How long have you two been seeing each other?"

"About a week?" Georgie said. "Yeah, I think so, maybe a little less. Gosh, we've been so busy at work lately I haven't even registered when."

"Wow, only a week, and you've barely been home," Ruby teased.

"Yes, because of work, you little pervert," Charlie said and poked her in the side.

"Charlie?"

Charlie turned around to see Leah poking out of the kitchen. "Do you have a moment?"

"Uh, sure," Charlie called back. "Give me a second, guys?"

"So…" Ruby started as she was alone with Georgie. "You're the reason Charlie has been in such a good moon these last few days. I actually haven't heard her complain about this big case you guys are working on once in the last days."

"Really?" Georgie said with a small chuckle. "Well, to tell you the truth, she makes me pretty happy, too."

Ruby smiled. "I'm glad. I'm happy for you guys."

Just then Xavier walked in. "Ruby! There you are! Why aren't you answering my calls, I've been trying to call you all morning! We need to talk!"

"Xavier! Will you just leave me alone?" Ruby hissed, trying to keep her volume down.

"Ruby! I've told you I made a mistake, and I get that you're angry with me, but if we could just-"

"Hey, kid! She told you to get lost. I suggest you do that," Georgie spoke up with a frown, seeing that Ruby was upset.

"Hey, no offense, but this is none of your business," Xavier said.

"Hey, guess what. I'm making it my business. Get out of here," Georgie said, a slight anger present in her voice.

"Ruby, come on, don't be like this, we can sort-"

Georgie got up from her chair and stared at Xavier. "I'm not gonna tell you again. Get out of here, or I will forcefully remove you myself," she looked at him, daring him to challenge her.

Xavier narroved his eyes at Ruby and shook his head. "Whatever," he said as he left.

"Thanks," Ruby sighed.

"No problem," Georgie said.

"I… We broke up not too long ago, but he's been a jerk all day," Ruby said.

Georgie nodded, remembering what Charlie had told her.

Ruby shook her head. "You know what boys are like."

Georgie smirked. "No, not really."

"Oh, yeah, of course, but you know…" Ruby said as she laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Georgie said.

"Everything all right here?" Charlie asked as she joined them again.

"Yeah, just Xavier being a total ass. Like usual," Ruby said.

"He's been bothering you?" Charlie asked. She was starting to feel she'd had enough of that kid.

"No, it's fine, Charlie," Ruby assured her.

Charlie wasn't too convinced, but nodded anyway. "Right. Well, Leah's plans were a little changed, so they'll be leaving for the airport in a few hours," Charlie explained.

Nodding, Ruby grabbed a menu. "Well, I don't know about you slackers, but I need to be back at school in half an hour, so I think we should order."


	7. If Charlie Can't Come to the Mountain

Georgie sighed loudly as she threw another file in the pile of checked ones. "I've gone through 15 files, and already have 2 guys who theoretically could have had time to take part in the robberies."

Charlie looked up at her. "I have three. But hey, we've gone over A through O, we're more than halfway done, at least."

"Yeah," Georgie said in the middle of a yawn. "What time is it anyway?"

Charlie checked her watch. "It's… 4 a.m. We should probably head home, get some sleep, and then see if we can't finish the rest tomorrow, so we can start looking into the ones we're left with."

"Sleep," Georgie murmured as she rubbed her face. "Sounds nice."

"It does," Charlie agreed as she threw her last file for the day onto her desk, and went to clear up all the Styrofoam cups and fast food bags that was scattered around the office. "Want me to drop you off at your house on the way home?"

"I've been here for so many hours that I can't count them, going over these files with you, and you offer me a ride home. I should be demanding sex," Georgie stated sleepily as she yawned again.

Charlie chuckled and looked at Georgie. "Okay."

Georgie's eyes immediately jolted open. "What was that?"

"I thought that would wake you a little," Charlie said with a grin as she walked over to her and placed a kiss on her lips. "You know, you could come home with me. It would be nice to fall asleep next to you after a long day…"

"Hmh," Georgie smiled as she leant forward and kissed Charlie again. "I'd like that. Very much."

"Good," Charlie said as she smiled and pulled away.

Georgie smiled and watched Charlie lock down the files and head out of the office.

"I was thinking you guys had fallen asleep in there," a younger constable said as he saw Charlie.

"Well, we're just about to," Charlie said as she went around the reception. "I think I left my keys here earlier, you haven't seen them, have you?"

"These ones?" he said and held up a key chain.

"Yes, thank you," Charlie said as. "Look, we're probably not gonna be in until lunchtime tomorrow, but if anything comes up, just make sure they call me, all right?"

"Sure thing, senior," the constable said.

-------------

Charlie woke up the next morning; the first thing she noticed was an unusually sore feeling in her right shoulder. Turning her head, she found the reason. Georgie was sleeping on it.

Smiling, she extended her left hand and started stroking the sleeping woman's face. Georgie stirred with a content sigh. "Morning," she murmured groggily as she snuggled into Charlie's side, burying her face in her shoulder.

"Good morning," Charlie replied, leaning in and kissing the side of Georgie's head, taking in the scent of her.

"Please tell me we don't have to get up just yet," Georgie said.

"It's over noon, so I reckon we do," Charlie said apologetically as she gently tried to pry her arm free.

Georgie groaned, and responded with throwing one of her own arms over Charlie's torso, attempting to keep her down.

"Georgie… Seriously. We need to get up," Charlie said, removing Georgie's arm, before pulling away the one Georgie's head was resting on, so that it slumped down on the mattress.

"Hey!" Georgie complained.

"Sorry, but it's time to get up," Charlie sad as she kissed Georgie's head.

Georgie pushed herself up, and looked at Charlie before climbing on top of her and lying down.

"Georgie…" Charlie said, trying to be serious , but ended up laughing.

"I don't want to get up," Georgie said as she wrapped her arms around Charlie's waist and rested her head on her chest.

"Neither do I… But we kinda have to."

"Just five more minutes…"

Charlie figured reasoning would get her nowhere, so she swiftly rolled them both over.

"That's cheating," Georgie pouted.

"Sorry, babe," Charlie said with a grin as she kissed her. "But it's time to get up."

Georgie just turned back into the warm covers as Charlie got up.

"You know, if you want to stay there and sulk until I'm done in the shower, that's fine, but I'd prefer you to join me," Charlie said as she headed into the bathroom.

Georgie shot after her immediately.

-------

Ruby was sitting in the diner eating lunch, when she saw her sister and Georgie walk in.

"Hey!" she said.

"Hey, Rubes," Charlie said as they joined her. "What are you doing here? Don't you have classes now?"

"I did, but we got to leave early because of some maintenance thing," Ruby explained. "I thought I'd drop by and get some lunch."

"Ruby, it's half past one, please tell me you've eaten something else since breakfast," Charlie said.

Ruby just looked at her sheepishly.

"Ruby!" Charlie started. "You know how important it is that you eat regularly."

"Yes, I do. It's been a hectic day, that's all," Ruby explained. "So, what are you guys doing here?" she quickly asked, changing the subject.

"Just popping by for some breakfast," Georgie replied.

"Wow, how late were you last night? I never heard Charlie come home."

"We called it a day at about 4, I think," Charlie said.

"Did you get any closer to solving the case?" Ruby asked.

"Didn't feel like it," Charlie stated with a sigh.

"Hey, we're getting there, after today we'll probably be closer than ever," Georgie said, subtly putting her hand on Charlie's knee.

"Yes, well, the sooner we're done with this case, the better," Charlie said.

"I'll go order some breakfast for us," Georgie said with a smile as she left them.

"So, have you checked your levels since this morning?" Charlie asked.

"Charles… Let it go, I'm fine. I shouldn't have skipped lunch, but I'm fine. Really."

"I asked you if you checked them," Charlie repeated softly.

"I was going to…" Ruby offered.

"Rubes!" Charlie exclaimed.

"I know, I need to be more careful, Charlie, so please don't give me one of your lectures… It's just been a long day."

Charlie sighed, and was about to speak when four men in ski masks burst through the door.

"EVERYBODY STAY CALM AND NOBODY WILL GET HURT!"


	8. Standstill

"Charlie…" Ruby whispered as she subconsciously moved closer to Charlie.

"Shh, it's gonna be fine, just stay calm," Charlie whispered back as she put an arm around Ruby.

"I want everybody over on this side of the room!" one of the men yelled as he gestured with a rifle. When they noticed Charlie and Georgie, the man holding the hand weapon said something to the others. Charlie couldn't make it out because of all the commotion, but tried to focus on the man with the gun; the man she assumed was a colleague of hers.

She looked at him as closely, but it didn't really get her any further. He wasn't particularly low or tall, and without hearing his voice she didn't really have a chance of recognizing it either.

"COME ON THEN! Me and my mates here don't have all day!" the man who appeared to be in charge shouted, before he and another one started ushering people to one side of the room. He then looked at Ruby.

"You! Come here," he demanded, gesturing towards her with his rifle. "Just a little precaution to make sure our sisters in blue here don't try any heroics."

Charlie felt a tight squeeze on her hand.

"I'd strongly advice you to do as my friend here says," the man with the shotgun said coldly as he approached Ruby.

Ruby looked up at Charlie. "It's gonna be okay, Rubes, all right?" she promised as Ruby tentatively stepped away from Charlie and towards the man who had called her over. Charlie's heart broke at Ruby's terrified look, but she knew the best thing was to avoid any confrontation that could make the situation worse.

Ruby was pushed in the direction of the man with the hand gun, who was standing by the entrance, keeping a lookout.

The man with the shotgun turned his attention back to Charlie and Georgie. "Guns, please," he said coldly."

"They're not here," Charlie informed him calmly. "They're in the car."

"Right," the guy said as he shoved the weapon into Charlie's stomach.

Then the man with the handgun whispered something to one of his accomplices. The guy then made his way over to Charlie and Georgie, looked at their waists, and shook his head towards the guy in the doorway. Both the women knew what he was looking for.

"Right then," one of the guys said to Irene. "You work here, yeah? Open the register."

As Irene did as she was told, Charlie looked over at Ruby. The younger Buckton was looking pale and terrified, and Charlie could see that her hands were shaking. Shifting her glance from Ruby to the man next to her, Charlie tried to take in as much as she could. His eyes, his build, his shoes, whatever small details that could be of the smallest significance later on.

Irene had opened the register, and just as fast as the guys had emptied it, they were heading out the door.

Georgie and Charlie exchanged a quick glance as they heard doors slam shut outside, before dashing out and into their car, grabbing their guns and taking after the black van. Charlie felt her adrenalin rushing as she sped off, rattling of instructions of road blocks and backup into her radio.

As they drove onto the road, they could clearly see the black van not too far ahead of them.

"…_are heading out to put up road blocks at four checkpoints about 12-13 kilometers away from your location, they should be there soon…" _

"Fuck!" Charlie exclaimed as she let the voice on the other end of the line know that they needed to hurry.

-------

Ruby and several other shocked customers where left baffled at the diner. A few minutes after Charlie and Georgie had left, several other police officers had arrived, as well as an ambulance. Ruby tried to get some of her sister's colleagues to let her know where Charlie was and if she was all right, but none of them would tell her anything.

-------

"…_confirm that the road blocks are up at 4 points, what's the van's location?"_

"We're tailing it, it's about 10-15 meters in front of us!" Charlie replied. They were nearing the road blocks.

"We'll hit the first one in about 2 minutes," Watson stated. "What do you think they'll do?"

"I don't know. But there's five of them, at least four armed, and I have a feeling this isn't going to be easy," Charlie stated, surprisingly calm, considering the situation.

Soon after, Charlie and Georgie could spot one of the road blocks ahead. The it hit Charlie. It was obvious, really, but with all the adrenaline coursing through her, it hadn't occurred to her.

Quickly reaching for her radio, she ordered the constables at the road block to seek cover behind the cars. When her command was questioned, she repeated it, gaining a confused look from Georgie.

"They're not gonna drive through it," Charlie stated anxiously. "They probably have a radio. They knew it was there, and that there was no way they could take another road and avoid a blockade."

"But those officers are gonna be in trouble if they try to run through it!" Georgie argued.

"They're not. They know we won't move the cars, and as long as the cars are part of the block and there's spike mats there. And one of the guys in the car knows this. So no, they're not gonna try to force through it," Charlie explained stressfully.

And just as she thought, the black van braked down, and stopped a few meters from the road block. Charlie stopped close to them, radioing the officers who were covered behind the blockade to stand by, and be prepared for apprehension of the suspects.

"Take cover behind the car!" she told Georgie as they exited the car and ran to the rear of it. Raising their guns, along with the four officers who made up the road block, Charlie called out.

"This is Senior Constable Charlie Buckton with the Yabbie Creek Police. You are surrounded, and I order you to leave your vehicle, unarmed, with your hands in the air, and surrender yourselves to police custody!"


	9. Unmasking

**A/N: Not proof read, and written by someone who slept less than 25 hours last week. Consider yourselves warned. And enjoy! :)**

* * *

Charlie was staring fiercely at the black van, her gun raised and adrenalin coursing through her body. She knew that if the robbers didn't make a move soon, she'd have to take the next step. But what? She and her officers did outnumber them, barely, but they were six against 5. And at least 4 of them were armed. Backup had been dispatched, but they probably wouldn't be here for another 10 to 15 minutes or so, and Charlie had learned a long time ago that things either happened extremely quickly, or they took time. She wasn't sure what would happen here.

"Senior?" Georgie asked, looking over at her. "What do we do?"

Charlie shook her head at her. "I don't know. We need to be careful, I don't want this to get bloody," Charlie said. Her first priority would have to be safety. She did not want to have to call someone's husband, or wife, or parents, and inform them that one of their loved ones wouldn't be coming home tonight.

"Guys? Do you have a visual on the driver?" Charlie radioed over to the other officers, who were positioned in front of the car, not behind it like her and Georgie.

"_Affirmative. There's two guys in the front, one of them has a rifle. The other does not appear to be armed. Suspects appear to be having an argument."_

"Right. I want three of you over here. Keep your heads down," Charlie ordered. She could imagine that the tension in the back of the van was not getting any lighter, and she wanted to act before things got out of hand."

Three of the officers approached Charlie and George. She pointed at one of them. "You, cover the back exit of the car with Constable Watson." The officer nodded, and made his way over to Georgie, who had taken cover behind the car door.

"Right. The three of us are gonna get the guys in the front out," she explained, surprisingly calm.

"What? Without backup? We don't even have vests!" one of the officers replied. Charlie nodded. He was right, but it was too predictable to follow protocol. She needed to surprise them, but not enough to unsettle them into making things violent.

"I understand your concern. But I've been chasing these guys for weeks, and I'm telling you; protocol doesn't work on them. And I want to disarm this situation before things get violent," Charlie explained. "That being said, this is voluntary. If either of don't want to participate, you may choose not to."

Both officers looked at Charlie. They knew who she were, and they knew her reputation. "I'm in," the first officer said. Charlie nodded at her.

"Me too," the other agreed, putting his doubts aside.

"All right," Charlie said, as she started explaining to them what they were about to do.

Georgie looked over at Charlie. She couldn't hear what she was saying, but it was obvious that she was making her move. It didn't take long for Charlie to come over and tell them herself, though.

"We're gonna move around the front, and try to apprehend the two guys in the front. You two will be covering the back of the van, in case the remaining three decide to get a move on it. Now, we know they're armed, so your number one priority if they open fire is to neutralize them," Charlie said.

"Neutralize them?" Georgie questioned, though she knew very well what it meant.

"Yes," Charlie said. "If the situation calls for it, shoot to kill."

Georgie and the other officer nodded, and shifted their focus back to the back door of the van.

When the other officer in the front was ready, Charlie and the other two officers made their move. One of them went to the right side, while Charlie and the other officer ran up against the left side of the van. They had to move quick, because they were pretty visible coming up in the cars mirrors.

As soon as they reached the front of the car, things happened quickly. The male officer positioned himself in front of the windshield, while the officer still behind the blockade in the front, ran towards them. Charlie and the other officer stood at the doors of the car, pointing their weapons at the two guys.

"THIS IS THE POLICE! SURRENDER YOUR WEAPON, AND SLOWLY LEAVE THE VEHICLE WITH YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!" Charlie yelled.

The two guys seemed to be arguing, and Charlie signalled for the two officers in the front to move around and open the doors. As they did, they guy with the rifle was pulled out of the car before he had a chance to think by Charlie, who had him slammed into the ground on his stomach in seconds.

The two officers on the other side pulled out the unarmed driver.

As Charlie was cuffing the suspect, she looked over and saw that the driver also was in custody. Just as she was pulling her guy off the ground, the back doors of the van burst open.

"Stay here," Charlie told the guy next to her, as she and the two other officers rushed towards the back of the van.

The three remaining suspects, with their ski masks, slowly stepped out of the car, with their weapons in hand. "Look, we don't want this to turn ugly!"

"Neither do we," Charlie stated loudly, yet with great calm, from behind them. "But I need you to drop your weapons!"

"I want the keys to that car!" one of the guys yelled, shoving his rifle against the police cruiser Georgie and Charlie had arrived in, in a pointing gesture.

"There is no way we are letting you go," Charlie explained. "You are surrounded, and I strongly encourage you to give yourselves up!"

The three of them pulled closer togheter, and exchanged some words, quiet enough as to not be heard. Still their guns were pointed at the officers around them, who were returning the gesture.

"Look, if you give yourselves up, if you cooperate with the police, it will help your cases later!" Charlie said.

Suddenly, one of the guys dropped his weapon, and raised his hand.

"For fuck's sake, John!" one of the other guys said, clearly agitated. Charlie noted that the guy with the handgun, who she assumed to be a colleague, looked surprisingly calm.

The guy who had given himself up, was arrested and pulled away. Just then, the guy with the handgun uttered one word.

---------------

Ruby was seated alone in the back of a police car. Charlie had just taken off, and she had no idea where she was. She was still shaking from what just happened in the diner, and she was scared that Charlie was out there chasing those madmen. None of the police officers around her could tell her anything either. Or maybe they just wouldn't, Ruby didn't know. All she knew was that she desperately wanted Charlie to be one of the many police officers who pulled up in front of the diner, all in one piece, and hug her like there was no tomorrow.

---------------

"Run!"

They stormed off in separate directions. The other guy was tackled by two of the officers pretty quickly. Charlie rushed after him, quickly followed by Georgie and the officer who had guarded the back with her.

Charlie felt her heart pumping in her chest as she ran after the guy, pushing her feet to move faster than she thought possible. There was no fucking way she was going to let him go. She noticed that she was slowly catching up with him, and when he was stupid enough to look behind him, it slowed him down just enough for Charlie to jump on him.

Both of them tumbled into the asphalt, and the guy dropped his gun in the process. He kicked and punched in an attempt to get Charlie off him.

Charlie felt his various assaults as they struck, but she was so pumped up on adrenaline and sheer anger that she refused to let it faze her. Instead she punched him back, and managed to pull of his ski mask. That led her to stare into a very familiar face.

"Angelo?!" she seethed. The moment of shock allowed Angelo to punch her in the face, before grabbing his gun.

The sharp and fierce sound of a bullet being fired followed once, twice and three times in rapid succession.

"CHARLIE!"


	10. Restless in Anticipation

**A/N: Kirsty87, does this answer your question? :P**

**Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy! :)**

**-------------------**

Ruby was getting more and more anxious. She was still sitting alone in the back of a police cruiser, with no more information about Charlie's whereabouts. It had been almost two hours since her sister and Georgie had taken off after those madmen. Armed madmen. Charlie hadn't even called her. But then again, she might not have had the time yet. And she knew Charlie was careful when she was on duty; she had promised her that several times. Yeah, she probably just had her hands full at the moment.

Gazing out the window of the car, she watched intently as another police cruiser pulled up. The first hour she had hoped to see Charlie step out of any of the numerous cars that had come and gone from the scene, but after a while she figured Charlie would be back when she was back and all she could do was wait. But as soon as she saw Georgie step out of the car, she sprung out of the car.

Georgie swallowed as she approached the younger Buckton. "Hi, Ruby."

"Where's Charlie?!" Ruby wanted to know. She had a bad feeling about all of this.

Georgie sighed. There was no easy way to do this, but it had to be done. "Ruby… I'm sorry, but Charlie's been hurt," she explained softly, barely managing to keep her tears at bay.

Ruby just stared at her, shaking her head. "No… No… Don't say that…"

"I'm sorry… She was shot in the stomach by one of our suspects when we were apprehending him," Georgie explained, feeling sick just thinking about it. She had been the one to put pressure on the bleeding wound herself, and after the ambos had rushed off with Charlie, she had tried to clean her bloody hands as much as she could. Half a bottle of water from one of the patrol cars hadn't been enough to get it all away, though.

"Is she…?" Ruby started, choking on her own words as they left her mouth. She couldn't even finish the sentence.

Georgie put a hand on her shoulder. "She was taken to the hospital about half an hour ago," she explained gently as she started leading her towards her car. "Let's go." Georgie had been on her way there, but after radioing the officers at the diner and confirming that Ruby was still waiting there, she figured she should tell her. She knew that Charlie and Ruby practically were each other's only family and having to get these kinds of news had to be crushing, especially over the phone.

By the time they got to the hospital, Ruby was a wreck. Georgie practically had to push her inside the doors and into the waiting area.

"Do you wanna wait here while I go and hear what's happening?" Georgie asked as Ruby sat down. Receiving a small nod, she headed for the nurses' station.

"Excuse me?"

"Can I help you?" a nurse asked kindly.

"I'm here for Charlie Buckton. She was brought in less than an hour ago, are there any news?" Georgie asked nervously.

"Buckton… The police officer that was brought in?" the nurse questioned.

"Yes."

The nurse looked down on her screens. "Apparently, she's in surgery, but that's all I've got…" The nurse looked at Georgie, who looked completely devastated. After what she had heard, the police officer had been shot while arresting an armed robber. Her own brother was a cop, and she that if anything happened to him, she'd want to know what was going on. "You know… I'll head down to the theater, and see if I can find out how she is," she said with a warm smile.

Georgie nodded. "Thank you so much," she said as the nurse took off. Pulling her cell phone up, she called the station and gave them a brief update.

As she arrived back in the waiting area, Ruby looked at her expectantly. "Did you hear anything? Is Charlie okay?"

"All they could tell me right now was that they had taken her into surgery," Georgie said as she sat down next to Ruby, "But the nurse said she'd go down there and see if she could get us an update."

Ruby nodded as she furiously tried to dry her tears, but as soon as she wiped them away, new ones would arrive. Just the thought of Charlie being shot… There was actually a real chance that she might lose her. She could lose the one person in her life that she depended on, that she needed and that she loved. Charlie was her only family. There was their dad, sure, but he was sick, and her life was with Charlie now.

"Ruby!" Georgie said as she shook her shoulder.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ruby turned to face her. "What?"

"I asked you if you were all right," Georgie said gently.

"Yes," Ruby stated. After all, Charlie was the one who was injured.

"Are you sure? It's been quite a day for you, I mean. With the hold up at the diner and all."

"I'm fine," Ruby stated again.

Just then, Georgie stood as she recognized the nurse approaching them. "Any news?"

"I was just down at the theater, and Dr. Armstrong is currently removing the bullet from her abdomen. Right now, she couldn't say too much, but she told me that from what she could see right now, the damage seemed to be less than they had expected. She also told me that she'd make sure you'd be kept in the loop," the nurse explained.

Georgie nodded, and Ruby sank back in her seat. The nurse left them, and Ruby started crying again, covering her face in her hands. This was just too much. Charlie had a bullet, like from a gun bullet, in her stomach, and she could actually die.

Georgie's heart broke for Ruby. And for Charlie. Sighing, she pulled an arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulled her close, letting Ruby's head rest on her shoulder as she cried.

"I've worked with Charlie for a long time, you know, and she's a fighter. And one hell of a stubborn woman," Georgie stated, trying to offer some comfort.

"She could be dead," Ruby sniffled. "I mean, there is actually a chance that she is dead, inside this building. They could just be coming to tell us right now. And if she's not… There's still plenty of time for something bad to happen."

Georgie had to swallow her own tears before replying. She was trying to keep a positive perspective, but what Ruby said was actually true. "You know, if Charlie could hear you say that, she'd probably yell at you for underestimating her," she stated, trying to lighten the mood.

When Ruby just cried harder into her shoulder, she gave her a tight squeeze before deciding that trying to lighten the mood was probably not the best thing to try in a time when she was in danger of losing the woman she had known for a while, yet only just recently started to really get to know, and Ruby was in danger of losing the most important person in her life.


	11. Questions and Answers

Ruby and Georgie were still sitting in the waiting area. They had been informed 20 minutes that the surgery was over, and that Rachel would be with them as soon as she had cleaned up.

"Rachel!" Ruby exclaimed as she saw the doctor approaching them. "Is she okay?"

Rachel smiled at them both, and sat down next to them, and immediately got down to business. She knew they had been sitting here for hours, waiting, and didn't want to keep them hanging any longer than she had to. "We managed to remove the bullet from Charlie's stomach just fine. We were a little worried that it might have damaged her spleen when she came in, but when we opened her up, it wasn't the case. Given how bad the situation could have been, she was very lucky. The bullet hadn't damaged any organs," she explained.

"Well…I mean, what does that mean? Will she be all right?" Ruby wanted to know.

"We are expecting her to make a full recovery," Rachel said with a smile.

"Thank god," Georgie muttered, relieved.

Rachel smiled again, happy to get to deliver good news. "Well, they're about to bring her up from theater and then we'll get her settled in a room, so you'll be able to see her. She probably won't be awake in a couple of hours because of the anesthetics, though," Rachel explained.

Both women sat back in their seats, overcome with relief. Georgie quickly excused herself, and went outside to call the station and let them know the good news.

A few minutes later she returned to her previous seat. After informing the guys at the station about Charlie, she had been told that she was requested back at the station to give her statement. She'd told them she'd be down as soon as she'd seen Charlie.

-------

"Georgie!" one of the constables behind the reception greeted her as she entered.

"Hey, John," Georgie replied. "Do you know how long this will take?"

"Nope. They've been on the backs of the lot of us here. You know how the Integrity Commission is," he said and rolled his eyes. "Just because that prick Rosetta turned out to be a crook, doesn't mean the rest of us are."

Georgie nodded.

"How is he anyway?"

"Not sure," Georgie answered as she shook her head. "They said the bullet went through, so I'm not sure if he needed surgery or not." Part of her was glad the bastard was in hospital for what he did to Charlie, but she was also pleased that he would be brought to justice properly. She'd still like to smack the shit out of him if she got the chance, but knowing he'd go to jail was almost as good.

"I just can't believe he'd do something like that, you know. I mean, the guy was mostly an asshole, but still…" the other Constable said.

"Yeah, well, at least he'll get what's coming to him," Georgie replied.

"Constable Watson?" an older man questioned as he stepped out from one of the interview rooms. "Are you ready to join us?"

"Yes, sir," Georgie nodded as she followed him into the room and sitting down at the table in front of the man, and the woman she assumed was his colleague.

----------

Ruby was seated in a chair by Charlie's bedside, staring down at her sister. Rachel had told her that she was expecting Charlie to wake up in an hour or so, but Ruby was still anxious. She didn't really dare believe Rachel when she told her that Charlie would be fine, until Charlie opened her eyes and could tell her herself.

----------

"As we understand, Senior Constable Buckton had some initial suspicions regarding one of the suspects being part of the police force. When did these suspicions develop, and how many knew about them?" the woman in front of the asked.

"Yes, uhm, that's correct. After the robbery of the supermarket almost a week ago, Cha- uhm, Senior Constable Buckton, told me that she suspected that at least one of the perpetrators was a member of the police force," Georgie answered nervously.

"I see. And why did Senior Constable Buckton share her suspicions with you?"

"Well," Georgie started. "After the supermarket robbery, Senior Constable Buckton was discussing the case with me in her office behind a closed door, and she then told me that she suspected that there might be a corrupt officer involved."

"And these suspicions she shared with you, did they ever leave that room?" the man asked.

"No. Never," Georgie stated adamantly.

"I see. As we have been informed by your superiors, the Senior Constable reported her concerns to headquarters after the shooting incident where a civilian was killed, and after putting forward a false forensics report about the firearm used, she started to seek out the culprit?"

"Uh, yes. Senior Constable Buckton started to map out the whereabouts of every officer in the station for the last few weeks. To see who were absent when and such. I helped her go through the files myself," Georgie replied.

"Did this draw any suspicion among your fellow officers? I can imagine that's a lot of files and a lot of work. Did anyone ever ask question about you and Senior Constable Buckton spending that much time behind closed doors?" the woman wanted to know.

"No, none that we were aware of. We did that work during the late afternoon and night."

The woman nodded. "And today, during the apprehension of the suspects, why did Senior Constable Buckton choose to handle it in the manner she did?" the man asked.

"Well, you'll need to ask her about that, but as we were pursuing their van, she went through the road block, and that she didn't think they'd try to ram through it. And they didn't. After that, she worked up a plan that enabled us to diffuse the situation without any injuries. Or, well, except for her own…"

"Yes, we've heard some reports from the others officers present during the situation, and I have to admit it is pretty impressive work," the woman stated quietly."How did Senior Constable Buckton get injured?"

"Well, after getting three of five suspects into custody, the two remaining split. One of the ran straight into our officers, while Senior Constable Buckton went after the suspect, and managed to jump him. Another officer and myself followed to assist her. There was a struggle, and just as the other officer and I caught up with them, Rosetta reached for his gun and fired twice."

"And then?"

"Then I fired once, hitting him. He was incapacitated by the shot."

--------

Georgie emerged from the room over an hour later. She didn't bother to catch up with her colleagues about the recent events, but went straight back to the hospital to see how Charlie was.


	12. Meet 'n Greet

The sun was long gone for the day by the time Georgie knocked on the door of Charlie's hospital room. "Is it all right to come in?" she asked as she poked her head inside, not wanting to disturb anything.

"Of course," Charlie said.

Georgie smiled, pleased that Charlie was awake.

"I'm gonna go down to the cafeteria and get some food," Ruby said with a smile, figuring she'd give Georgie and Charlie some time alone. Quickly kissing Charlie on the forehead, she left the two women alone in the room.

"So, this is where you're slacking off while the rest of us are busy with important police matters?" Georgie joked as she sat down in a chair next to Charlie's bed.

"Well, you know me. Anything to have an excuse to be lazy," Charlie quipped back.

Georgie smiled, then turned more serious. "Seriously, though. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all right. They say I'll be up and about in about two or weeks time," Charlie answered. "How's Angelo, by the way?"

"He's gonna make it," Georgie said.

"I assume we'll have the Integrity Commission to deal with pretty soon," Charlie said.

Georgie chuckled. "Where do you think I've been for the last three hours?"

"They certainly don't waste any time, do they…" Charlie muttered.

"No, they don't. I think they went pretty easy on the guys at the station, though. I think they spent more time with me because I was the only one who knew how you were investigating it. And I know they had already talked to some of the officers who were there during the apprehension," Georgie answered.

Charlie sighed. "They'll probably need my statement, too, and sooner rather than later. This whole thing is a right mess."

"The only thing messed up is Angelo. I knew the guy was no saint, but I didn't see this coming," Georgie said.

"Me neither," Charlie replied.

They both went quiet

"Charlie?" Georgie broke the silence.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked, looking at Charlie's pale form.

Charlie reached for Georgie's hand, which met her halfway. "Yes. A bit tired, but I'm fine."

Georgie pressed her lips to their intertwined hands. "Good. You really had me worried back there."

"Yeah, I was a bit worried to," Charlie admitted. "I could tell Ruby was a bit shaken up, too. But I think she calmed down a bit after we had a little talk."

"That's understandable," Georgie nodded.

"Yeah… Hey, she told me that you drove by and told her yourself, and took her to the hospital. Thanks," Charlie said sincerely.

"It was the least I could do," Georgie shrugged.

A knock on the door interrupted Charlie from replying.

"Hey," Rachel said with a smile. "Is this a good time?"

"It's fine," Charlie said.

"I just came by to see how you were doing," Rachel explained as she went to pick up Charlie's chart.

"A bit sluggish, but fine," Charlie replied.

"Yes, well, you probably will feel a bit sluggish and drowsy for a few days. Partly due to the anesthesia you've been under and partly because of the stress that your body has been through," Rachel explained.

"So, when do I get to go home?" Charlie wanted to know.

Rachel chuckled. "Well, I can tell you right now that it won't be today. Or tomorrow. Or the day after that. But maybe, then, we can make a new assessment."

Charlie nodded.

"Are you in any pain?" Rachel asked.

"There's a throb in my stomach, but other than that it doesn't hurt too much long as I keep still," Charlie answered, feeling Georgie squeeze her hand as she spoke.

"All right," Rachel said as she skimmed through the chart. "Well, we do have you on a decent dose of morphine right now, but if the pain gets too much, just let us know and we'll adjust it."

"Got it."

Rachel left them to it, and Georgie kissed Charlie's hand again. "Does it hurt much?"

"It's fine," Charlie said with a smile.

"Really, are you in a lot of pain?"

Charlie sighed. "All right, it hurts, but I'll survive."

"I hope Angelo has it ten times worse," Georgie muttered.

"Let's not waste our time worrying about him," Charlie said. "He'll get what's coming to him."

Georgie nodded. "Yeah, he will."

Noticing that Charlie had fallen asleep again, Georgie sat back in her chair, silently holding Charlie's hand.


	13. Release and Recatch

**A/N: I'm über-sorry for the lack of updates recently. Now this is where I wish I could say that real life had gotten in the way or something, but to be honest I'm just a lazy lobster. I hope you enjoy!**

"Finally!" Charlie sighed as she stepped inside Leah's.

Georgie smiled as she sat Charlie's bag on the kitchen table. "I take it you're glad to be home?"

"Yeah, I definitely am," Charlie said, wrapping her arms around Georgie's neck and pulling her in for a tender kiss.

Grinning, Georgie put her hands around Charlie's waist. Just as she was about to reciprocate, she felt Charlie tense up and pull away. "Are you okay?" she asked with a frown. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Charlie clenched her side and shook her head as she leant headed into the living room. "It's fine. You just grazed a sore spot, that's all."

"Christ… I'm so sorry," Georgie said apologetically as she watched Charlie carefully sit down on the couch. "I should have been more careful."

Charlie grabbed the other woman's hand and pulled her down next to her. "Don't worry about it. Honest mistake."

Smiling, Georgie gave her a quick peck on the cheek before standing up. "Will you be all right on your own for a few hours? I should have been back at the station half an hour ago," she explained.

"Of course," Charlie nodded. She definitely wouldn't mind Georgie's company, but understood that she had to go back to work. "And thanks for coming to pick me up today, you know I would have been fine in a cab."

"Rubbish, of course I came to pick you up," Georgie said, leaning down for another kiss. "Now, can I get you anything before I go? Food? Painkillers? A cold beer?"

"Nope, I'm all good," Charlie said.

"All right. You should try to get some rest. And call me if there's anything, okay? I'll bring dinner when I come over later," Georgie stated.

"Yes! Now get going, Constable, you're already late enough because of me!" Charlie replied, smiling at Georgie's nagging.

---------------

"Charlie?" Ruby called out as she entered the house.

"In here!" Charlie called out.

Ditching her backpack in her room, Ruby sat down on the couch next to Charlie, who was relaxing and mindlessly surfing the channels. "Did you get home all right?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes. Did you have a good day at school?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, and groaned. "Awesome," she stated sarcastically.

Charlie just smiled. "All right then… Any other news, then? You know, we haven't really had too much time to talk this past week, with me being cooped up in the hospital and all."

"Well, there is something, actually," Ruby started. She wasn't sure if she should continue though, because Charlie probably wasn't going to react very well.

"Yes?" Charlie pushed.

Ruby smiled, and grabbed her sister's hands. "Okay! Xavier and I are back togheter!"

Charlie's face visually dropped. "What?" she asked dryly.

"Xavier and I have worked things out, and we've started dating again!" Ruby exclaimed, excitedly.

Charlie just stared at her.

"Charlie?" Ruby questioned. "Please say something…"

"Well, I don't really know what to say!" Charlie exclaimed. "Have you completely forgotten how he treated you the last time?" she asked incredulously, remembering how heartbroken Ruby had been just two weeks ago.

"Well…" Ruby started. "I know things ended pretty badly between us the last time…but we've talked things trough, and decided to try again. I mean, he's been really great to me this past week, Charles!"

Charlie narrowed her eyes. That kid had some nerve, passing in on her sister when she was scared and vulnerable. "He's no good for you, Ruby."

Ruby sighed. "I knew you were gonna react like this, Charles… But things are different between us now!"

"Ruby…"

"Whatever," Ruby said as she got up, and headed for her room. "I have homework to do."

--------------

"Hey," Charlie said with a smile as she saw Georgie approaching the door. "Come on in."

"I come bearing food!" Georgie announced as she placed bags of takeout on the table. Charlie put down the mug she had been emptying in the sink, and went over to her.

Grabbing her by her belt hoops, she pulled her in for a kiss. "I missed you today," she stated. Truth be told, she'd gone a little stir crazy after Georgie had left and when Ruby disowned her.

Leaning her forehead against Charlie's, Georgie smiled. "I missed you, too. You know I'd rather be here keeping you company if I could, but with the Integrity Commission staging a coup down at the station and getting all the interviews with the suspects underway, no one's been able to get away. I hear they're bringing Angelo in tomorrow, by the way. Apparantly he was released from the hospital two days ago, and taken into custody right after."

Charlie sighed. " Yeah, about that. I'm going down tomorrow as well. I have a feeling I'm gonna get my ass handed to me."

Georgie frowned as she pulled away and led Charlie into the living room. "Why's that?" she asked as they sat down on the couch together.

"I had a cop under my command that turned out to be dirty," Charlie said. "Of course they're not gonna pat my back and say 'Hey, too bad about that, but it happens to the best of us', are they," Charlie said.

"Probably not, but it's not your fault that Angelo crossed the line. And they know that. They even said that they were impressed by your handling of the situation when they talked to me," Georgie said, trying to lift Charlie's spirits.

"I doubt that. From what I can tell, the Superintendent is going to be present as well," Charlie said.

"He's probably just there overlooking things! The Commission is just there to investigate Angelo's conduct and whether there are any other bad seeds in the mix. The Super is probably just there with headquarters dealing with the rest of the case," she stated, lifting her hand to push back a stray hair from Charlie's face.

Charlie sighed again. "You know what, I'm gonna take it as it comes tomorrow."

Georgie nodded. "It'll be fine. Now, shall we eat and enjoy our evening togheter?"

-----------

Hours later, Charlie and Georgie were lying in bed together. Georgie had accepted Charlie's invitation to stay the night, and after talking for a few minutes, and exhausted Charlie had finally given into sleep. Looking at the sleeping woman next to her, Georgie extended her arm and wrapped it around her, realizing how incredibly lucky she was to still have Charlie there with her. Smiling, she drifted off to sleep as well.


	14. Going Up and Shutting Down

"Morning," Georgie quietly as she felt Charlie stir and watched her eyes slowly flutter open.

Charlie awoke with her head resting on Georgie's chest, securely wrapped in the other woman's arms. "Morning," she murmured back. As she woke up more properly and her sleepy daze left her, the previous night's events came back to her. Pulling away from the warm embracr and getting out of bed, she looked awkwardly at Georgie.

"Uhm, I… I'm gonna jump in the shower and get changed before I head in… I… I don't know how long I'll be, so I'll probably just catch up with you at the station," Charlie said clumsily before heading to the bathroom and lpcking the door behind her, leaving a confused Georgie behind.

"Charlie?" she called out, but received no answer. Getting out of bed, she threw on her clothes from the previous night and went to knock on the bathroom door.

"Charlie?"

On the other side of the door, Charlie was profusely embarrassed about what had happened during the night. "Uhm, yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Georgie asked, concerned by Charlie sudden and strange behavior.

"Uh, yes. I just need to start getting ready, I have to be at the station at 9 o'clock sharp," she replied trough the door.

Georgie frowned. She should be getting home to clean up and get ready for work herself, but was worried about how Charlie was acting. She was obviously avoiding her. Had she done something or said something that upset her?

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later!" Charlie called back.

"Okay…" Georgie replied, somewhat dejected at Charlie's behavior. Figuring there was a slim chance of figuring out what was going on with Charlie avoiding her and remaining behind a locked door, she decided to give her some space and try to catch up with her at the station later on. "I'll head home to get dressed and ready for work, then. See you later."

"Yeah."

Georgie stared at the door for another few seconds, before heading out of the house.

As soon as Charlie heard Georgie leave, she unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out. Slumping down on the couch, she furiously rubbed her face while trying to figure out how she could ever face Georgie again.

--------

As Charlie stepped into the station a little over an hour later, she was met by a round of applause and many smiling faces. She was relieved to not find Georgie among them.

"Good to see you back, senior!"

Charlie smiled as some of her colleagues stepped up and went to shake her hand and welcome her back. "Thanks guys."

"You're not back full-time already, are ya?"

Charlie shook her head. "No… I'm just back for the day. The uniform's just for show, I'm afraid, with the Super coming in and all."

"Senior Constable Buckton?"

Charlie turned around to find a nicely dressed woman stepping out of an interview room. "We're good to go, so whenever you're ready," she said with a smile.

Charlie nodded. "I'll catch up with you guys when I'm done," she said with a smile as she followed the woman into the interview room.

--------

Georgie was hovering in one of the interviews rooms, partly to look over a file in some peace and some quiet, and partly because she wasn't sure how Charlie would react if she was there when she got in. She didn't manage to focus on the file much, though. The words just floated by her eyes, while her mind strayed to Charlie. She couldn't see why on earth she had acted so strangely that morning.

As she heard the bullpen break out in applause, she assumed Charlie had arrived. She considered whether she should get out there, but decided against it. Charlie was probably busy catching up with the rest of the guys. She settled her mind on catching Charlie for lunch.

---------

Glancing at her watch, Charlie noted that she'd spent just over two hours in the interview room. Luckily, her official statement was practically typed up beforehand because she was the one of the last ones to be interviewed. Besides from the course of the investigation she had led and some small details and corrections, those who had gone before her had pretty much told what there was to be told.

"Right, well for now, that's all we need in regards to your statement," the man sitting across the table from Charlie stated as she signed the statement. "However, headquarters are requesting that most of the investigation against Rosetta and the four is wrapped up before it's handed over to them. I assume you're aware that we're bringing him in today?"

"Yes, I am," Charlie confirmed. She'd also suspected it was because headquarters wanted the messy ordeal served on a silver platter.

"Well, I know that officially you are no longer carrying out the investigation, but we were hoping you'd sit in on the interview with Rosetta today," the woman stated. "Most likely we'll have things more or less wrapped up by today or tomorrow, and he'll be transported to the city."

Charlie nodded. "Of course." She had to admit she already felt tired, but being there during an interview with Angelo wasn't something she'd like to pass up.

"Good, good. We're hoping you can push him a little on some issues. We haven't been able to get much out of him earlier, and from the little his accomplices have admitted, he appears to have been the driving force in the group."

"I'll be glad if there's anything I can do to help," Charlie replied.

"Very well then, I think we have all we need for now, and Mr. Rosetta is a few minutes away, so I propose a quick break," the man said as they gathered up their papers and stood.

Charlie left the interview room and went to get herself a glass of water.

"Charlie!"

Charlie turned around to find Georgie approaching her.

"Umh…" she started as she began to walk away. "I kinda…you know, have to go…"

"Charlie! What on earth is going on with you?" Georgie asked as she sped up her walking and caught up with Charlie.

"Nothing."

"But why are you-" Georgie stopped as they walked into the reception area. All of the officers in the station was standing there, and Charlie didn't have to look up to know why.

"You slimey, fucking prick!" someone shouted.

"Right! That's enough! Everyone, get back to work," Charlie barked before heading into the interview room Angelo had just been lead to.

"What is she doing here?" Angelo asked coldly as he watched Charlie sit down at the opposite end of the table in front of him.

"Senior Constable Buckton here is joining us today," the man replied curtly.

"So am I."

All four sets of eyes in the room turned towards the door. "Superintendent," Charlie acknowledged respectfully as she got up and shook his hand.

After all the formalities were taken care of, the interview started.

The woman from the Integrity Commission nodded subtly towards Charlie, who took the hint and started off.

"So, Angelo, I hear you've been less than cooperative," Charlie stated as she looked at him.

Angelo chuckled. "And so they've sent you to come and save the day? Your brilliant skills let us carry on for weeks. I came in here, worked my shifts for weeks, and you didn't have a clue until we made one, tiny mistake and you got lucky."

Charlie smirked. "You think I never suspected anything?"

The man placed three files in front of Angelo. "You haven't seen those until today, but they document Senior Constable Buckton's suspicions throughout the case that there was a rogue cop involved. Statements from another officer, an official, yet internally classified, statement during the investigation from the Senior Constable, and, the reports from the lab stating the results of their analysis of the bullet you put into an innocent man."

Angelo frowned at Charlie. "The lab's results were inconclusive…"

"The report you read was fake. The real one was locked in my office the whole time," Charlie replied. "But, unless you need more time to realize that you were never as clever as you thought, I'd like to hear more about this mistake you made."

Angelo closed the files and showed them away from him. "I wouldn't say mistake, when I think about it. Just a freaky coincidence, if you and Watson hadn't been there that morning, you never would have been able to get things rolling soon enough to catch us."

"Wrong again. We would have gone back to the station, gone over the remaining files, including yours, and a day or two later, I'm guessing we would be pretty close," Charlie informed him. "But really, I have to give it to you, I probably would have been a bit slower in catching up with you if you hadn't been stupid enough to use your service weapon."

Angelo glared at her. "Easier to run with."

"So I saw," Charlie replied, succeeding in appearing unfazed by his reference. "How's the limp, by the way? Bet you won't be doing too much running in the near future."

Angelo just snorted at her.

"Why did you start your little robbery ring in the first place?" the woman asked, changing the subject slightly.

-----------------

A few hours later, they had all called it a day. Charlie was utterly exhausted and had quickly excused herself and headed into her office to sit down. She practically growled when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

"Senior Constable?"

"Superintendent! Please, come in. What can I do for you?" she asked as she stood.

"I know it's been a long day, especially for you and your health, but I just wanted to tell you when I made the trip down here anyway," the super replied.

Charlie frowned, unsure of what he was going to tell her.

"The thing is, it's been more or less a done deal for the last couple of months, but we made the decision a few days ago. It's not official yet, but it will be by the end of the week. You're being promoted to Sergeant."

Charlie stared at him. "But-"

"Yes, I am aware of all the formalities and official protocols," he cut her off. "However, we are very impressed by the work you've put into this station. And even more impressed by how you handled this case. It took good eyes to see the things you saw, and that day when you lead the apprehension of them… Let's just say it could have been a lot more injuries then there were, and from what we've heard, we have you to thank for that."

Charlie just continued to stare. "Umh, thank you, sir. It's, it's an honour."

The older man smiled at her as he held out his hand. "I won't keep you any longer, I just wanted to give you heads up, and thank you for the exceptional job you did."

Charlie shook his hand and thanked him again as he left, before closing the door and slumping down in her chair, sighing tiredly. She couldn't wait to get home, have a nice shower, pop some painkillers and sleep until she woke up. Grabbing her keys, she was about to get up when there was a knock again.

"Yes?" she sighed.

"I need to talk to you," Georgie stated as she stepped inside and closed the door beside her.

Charlie sighed and rubbed her face. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes, there is. You're avoiding me, and you're obviously upset about something. Is it about last night? Because no one is expecting you to be 'just fine', Charlie. It's okay to not just leave it behind and be all a-okay so soon. I mean, nightmares and trouble sleeping is a completely-"

"Georgie!" Charlie shouted. "Will you give it a rest? Christ, just leave it, all right?"

Georgie was taken aback a bit, but didn't want to let Charlie push her away so easily. "Charlie, why can't you talk to me?"

"Because there is nothing to talk about! Now get off my back about it, will you?!" Charlie shouted, before storming out of the office and for her car, leaving a very dejected and confused Georgie behind.


End file.
